Terrorist attacks over the last decade have heightened security requirements at a host of locations and activities such as airports, sporting events, political gatherings, and the like. Security stations at these locations must process large numbers of individuals in an efficient manner while providing effective screening for weapons and contraband.
Screening for concealed weapons is a particularly challenging task. Many individuals have a variety of metallic items in or on their person (e.g. prostheses, jewelry, belt buckles, coins), thereby impairing the effectiveness of conventional metal detectors. Moreover, weapons can be fabricated from non-metallic materials that cannot be detected with conventional metal detectors. Backscatter X-ray devices exist for detecting such concealed devices, but require that an individual stand close to a flat panel and raise health concerns due to ionizing radiation exposure.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a device that provides improved-resolution imaging of concealed objects without the need for ionizing radiation.